Current Drug Targets - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2001

Smooth muscle cells constitute a heterogeneous collection of effector cells that, by virtue of both their constituency in blood vessels and presence as primary parenchymal cells in diverse tissues, affect the function of all organs. Thus, perhaps it is not surprising that alterations in, and slash or dysfunction of, smooth muscle cells are quite common, and responsible, at least in part, for the morbidity and mortality associated with Read More

The discovery that chemokine receptors act as cofactors indispensable for HIV entry into target cells identified new targets for anti-retroviral therapy. However, much remains to be learned about the nature of their physiological role in the organism, as well as the molecular details of viral entry. The multitude of different receptors permitting HIV entry in vitro and their respective roles in vivo for entry, as well as their implic Read More

Control of cell growth and differentiation occurs via extracellular signals known as growth factors. Growth factors are high affinity ligands for transmembrane receptors belonging to the family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). A number of genetic evidences have implicated RTKs in human diseases including developmental disorders and cancer. For instance, germline missense mutations involving the Ret receptor ar Read More

Pleiotropic resistance of tumor cells to treatment remains one of the major obstacles for successful cure of cancer patients. Tumor cells may acquire multidrug resistance (MDR) in the course of exposure to various compounds that are used in modern anticancer therapy, including cytotoxic drugs and differentiating agents. Therefore, the recurrence of the disease after the initial treatment may be associated with e Read More

The recent marketing of two selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, celecoxib and rofecoxib is remarkable considering that COX-2 was only discovered eight years ago as a growth factor- and cytokine-inducible gene. Concomitant with these pharmaceutical successes is the advances in our understanding of the molecular and structural basis for selective COX-2 inhibition. This review provides a perspective on the ongoing Read More